


Safe in your arms

by lunaemoth



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kink Negotiation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-29
Updated: 2015-11-29
Packaged: 2018-05-03 23:55:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5311901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunaemoth/pseuds/lunaemoth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Demons don't only hurt people physically: terror and despair slip into their victims and leave them vulnerable. As Inquisitor, Adaar tries to appear unwavering but sometimes she just needs to let go. In his arms, she can.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Safe in your arms

**Author's Note:**

> **I'm french** , english isn't my first language and this isn't betaed so you can expect some mistakes. If anything bothers you please send me a nice comment with the correction. 
> 
> This is my first fanfic for DA but probably not my last. I'm in a DAI phase and I've lots of ideas.  
> You can find me at: ashkaarishok.tumblr.com

Herah was trying to keep the whimpers and the tears to a minimum; as for the shivers she had given up long ago. She felt horrible and she knew she will feel worse afterwards considering the embarrassing situation she was in and her inability to rectify it. Her willpower was in shreds, leaving her clinging to Solas like a child to his teddy bear. Thankfully, her friend was taking it rather well, outwardly unfazed by his predicament: he was patting her hair indulgently and letting her soak in his warmth patiently.

The door opened to let the Iron Bull through. Her lover stopped in the doorway, startled by the unusual sight, before pulling himself together and closing the door behind him to preserve her privacy. “Well, shit. Varric said it was bad but that’s something else.”

Herah hid her face in Solas’ tunic, knowing how pathetic she must look like, curled around Solas as he was sitting with his back to the headboard, her arms around his waist to stop him from moving away. She whimpered.

“Ssh,” Solas whispered. “Taking the brunt of a combined attack from a Terror demon and a Despair demon would leave anyone on their knees. You’re keeping yourself together quite well, my friend. Don’t be ashamed.”

Bull sat down on the bed’s edge and laid a hand on the back of her neck. She leaned toward him. Slowly, they adjusted their positions, Bull taking Solas’ place and Herah snuggling up to the qunari in an intimate way that she couldn’t have with the elf.

“Anything I should know?” Bull asked to Solas.

“She’s holding it back, that’s what makes it last. She held herself together impressively as we made our way back to the Keep but it worsens the backlash. Once the worst is passed, make sure she feels safe and it’ll be over quickly.”

“Got it. Thanks.”

Too embarrassed to look at her friend and unable to trust herself to say a word, Herah kept her face hidden against Bull’s neck until the door closed behind Solas. Even then, she found the comfort of their skins against each other much preferable to seeing Bull’s face.

“That’s you alright, Boss. Keeping everything bottled up until it gets worse, uh? Let it go, Herah. It’s just you and I.” His voice lowered to a murmur near her ear as his hands rubbed her back with long strokes. His hands were big, warm and strong, very comforting. Destructive too, of course, but she trusted him enough to know they’ll only bring good things to her.

“I-I can’t,” she mumbled after a few seconds.

“Got yourself in tight knots?”

She nodded. Their relationship relied on his deep understanding of her way of coping with her feelings, mainly bottling them up so well that even when she could allow herself to deal with them, she had difficulties to express them. When it was anger, frustration, stress or anxiety, their sexual plays helped her but for fear, pain and sadness, she needed to cry and sometimes… she simply couldn’t.

“Alright. Let’s get you comfortable.”

She couldn’t help but whine when he pushed her away to help her strip.

“Easy, gorgeous,” he murmured, holding her chin to stroke her cheek with his thumb in comfort. “I’m not going anywhere.” A peck on her lips left her compliant enough to remove her armor. As he undressed her, Bull’s touches were firm and longer than strictly necessary. He stroked along her legs as he take off her pants and always kept a hand on her at any time, if only to hold her ankle or to steady her by the hip. Once she was in her underwear, he arranged her on his lap, straddling his hips and laying on his naked chest with her arms around him and her head above his heart. She was still shivering a little but his warmth and the blanket he wrapped around her shoulders slowly helped her to calm.

“Comfortable?”

She nodded and nuzzled along one of his scars.

“Good.” He never stopped to caress her exposed skin, the warmth of his hands spreading in her weary muscles. “I saw Sera on the way. She told me I better get you back in shape pronto because, and I quote, _“T’was stupid of her but she kinda saved my hide.”_ That’s true? You didn’t dodge that Despair demon to get the Terror one away from her?”

It took her two tries but she managed to say in a breathe: “She wouldn’t be as pretty in slices.” His laughter rumbled in his chest and the vibrations warmed her a little more. That gave her the strength to add: “And I don’t want… don’t want another death.” She blinked to clear her view and realized tears were finally filling her eyes.

“That’s what’s gnawing at you, right? Despair that you’re going to fail, terror that you’re going to lose everyone, that’s what’s in your pretty head now?”

She nodded as the tears went down her cheeks.

“Afraid to be all alone and rejected if you aren’t being perfect, if you don’t hold everything back to make sure they don’t think you’re weak or a burden? That’s why you pretended everything was fine until you nearly collapsed in your room, which no-one would have seen if your friends hadn’t insisted to escort you there? I hate to tell you that but by now all Suledin Keep must have heard how you were as white as snow when you came back. I heard it before Sera jumped on me. Hell, Varric had to hold Cass back, she wanted to check on you so bad, and Dorian asked twice if Solas had given you the right potions after healing you...”

Bull rubbed it in until the dam finally broke and Herah burst into tears. He immediately shut up and held her closer, lifting her so that her face could be nestled against his neck, rubbing her back and kissing her cheek. He took a handkerchief from the nightstand and tucked it in her hand when she sniffled. “There. Feel better?” He asked once she had calmed down.

She nodded, sniffled again and wiped her nose one last time before kissing his cheek softly. “Thank you.”

“I got your back. We all do. Solas won’t think worse of you because you needed a hug after two demons played with your mind. He has a soft spot for you after all.”

“He does?”

“Sure. If you were an elf, I might have some competition.”

Herah snorted weakly at the image of Solas and Bull wrestling for her hand.

“When we get back to Skyhold, I’m going to tie you to the bed, cover you in blankets in a mountain of pillows and feed you the sweetest stuff until I’m sure you’re back in shape,” Bull promised as he stroke her red hair.

She hummed, pleased by the thought, and closed her eyes to enjoy the petting. “Cocoa?” Cocoa was good. Bull had introduced her to this marvel after she had heard him talk about it with Varric and since then they had a deal: cocoa in exchange for horn balm.

“Yeah. With some guimauves. I asked Josie to get some. You’ll see, it’s awesome. Orlesians are good with sweet food… and cheeses but it doesn’t match well with cocoa.” He paused and stroke the curve of her hip to her navel with the back of a finger. “Remember what matches well with cocoa?”

She shivered at the memory of his tongue lapping at chocolate on her skin. “Yeah.”

“Would you like to do it again?”

She nodded, holding him tighter.

“And where should I powder you, mh?” He asked before sucking on the tip of her ear.

She shivered and mumbled “Nipples” without a second thought. She used to think too much on her replies at the start of their relationship; he had learned to distract her to get spontaneous answers.  

“That’s a really brilliant idea,” he rumbled. His hand went to her breasts and teased her through the fabric of her bra. “Now you’ve me very eager to get to Skyhold…”

She shifted her hips slightly, pressing down against his growing erection and hummed. “Too bad we have dragons to kill before we can do that,” she teased.

He groaned. “Playing dirty, are we?”

“You taught me that,” she reminded him with half-closed eyes and a lascivious smile.

“And you learned so well.” He held her by the back of her neck and tilted her head to expose the sensitive skin. He licked and sucked his way from her shoulder to her ear, before whispering right there: “But I’m still ahead of you.” He rolled them over, getting her under him with an ease that turned her on, as he well known. Her legs wrapped around his hips, her feet crossed behind his butt and their foreheads touched. “Slow and steady, tonight, I think. We gonna make it last, until you’re all loose and relaxed, with your pretty head free from anything else than me. A little begging should help to ensure that. No orgasm until I'm sure you're all mine, no demons thoughts left. Yeah?”

She nodded slightly, mindful of her horns against the pillow.

“Solas said I should make sure you feel safe. D’you feel safe here with me, beautiful?”

“Yeah. I always feel safe in your arms,” she murmured. Warm, covered and loved, far away from any expectations, she felt protected from the world in this little cocoon.

“Good. It shouldn’t be any other way.”


End file.
